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Don't Quash the Joy
Creative motivation is a funny thing. I'm inversely motivated, it seems. If I have a big show looming, I'm motivated less and less to be creative as the date gets closer and closer. What's up with that?! The creative process caprici
ous at best. New ideas, new ways to improve upon things done previously, or initial thoughts about entirely new products can come at any time. The idea to create my now successful line of polymer clay and wood clocks came from the combination of shopping at an art supply store, seeing a metal clock, and thinking "hey, I could do that!" browsing through catalogs, and doodling. The development of my line of clocks is ongoing; it's helpful to see which are popular, both design and color-wise at the various shows I'm doing this summer. When a piece sells, am I immediately motivated to replace it? Sometimes. If it's a piece I've never liked, NO! If it's one which I think will sell again, and about which I think I still have "something to say," definitely. Which gets back to motivation; in the end, for me, what motivates is a combination of the need to create for myself, for a deadline, and for the sheer joy of it. I've found that looming deadlines often quash the joy, and I have to force myself to 'get my butt in the chair'. I've also learned it's best to do things which don't demand a high level of innovation, since it's usually just not there at those times. Learning about your creative self is a large, integral part of the artistic journey; I'm still in class--on about the 200-level, I think!
Creative motivation is a funny thing. I'm inversely motivated, it seems. If I have a big show looming, I'm motivated less and less to be creative as the date gets closer and closer. What's up with that?! The creative process caprici
ous at best. New ideas, new ways to improve upon things done previously, or initial thoughts about entirely new products can come at any time. The idea to create my now successful line of polymer clay and wood clocks came from the combination of shopping at an art supply store, seeing a metal clock, and thinking "hey, I could do that!" browsing through catalogs, and doodling. The development of my line of clocks is ongoing; it's helpful to see which are popular, both design and color-wise at the various shows I'm doing this summer. When a piece sells, am I immediately motivated to replace it? Sometimes. If it's a piece I've never liked, NO! If it's one which I think will sell again, and about which I think I still have "something to say," definitely. Which gets back to motivation; in the end, for me, what motivates is a combination of the need to create for myself, for a deadline, and for the sheer joy of it. I've found that looming deadlines often quash the joy, and I have to force myself to 'get my butt in the chair'. I've also learned it's best to do things which don't demand a high level of innovation, since it's usually just not there at those times. Learning about your creative self is a large, integral part of the artistic journey; I'm still in class--on about the 200-level, I think!
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